Stupid Chosen
by ambersweet
Summary: Lloyd can't sleep because of the grave decision he must make. Rated M for what may come later. SPOILERS for the last bit of the game -after Flanoir scenes- Please comment with what you do/don't like and want to see later. Lloyd and Zelos/ Lloyd and Sheena
1. Company

The cold air was refreshing. Lloyd inhaled deeply and his throat ached a little in response to the unforgivingly frigid atmosphere. He cast his gaze to the exsphere sitting atop his left hand and clenched his fist so tightly that he knew his knuckledsmust be white underneath the crimson fabric of his gloves.

"Mom…"

"Hey, Bud, who're you talking to? Have you been hiding something from me? A lady of the night?"

"Shut it, Zelos."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Calm down, now."

There was complete silence other than the soft whistling of the wind through the snow-covered trees. All that Lloyd wanted right now was solitude, pure and uninterrupted by anything, especially the joker standing behind him. He scowled and clenched his fists even tighter, digging his fingernails into his palms, wondering if the cloth could absorb this much pressure as he swore he could feel the barrier between his flesh and the gloves lessen as he squeezed increasingly more aggressively. Hopefully Zelos would sense the hostility and his silent pleads to be left alone. Even he wasn't insensitive or oblivious enough to not know when he was unwelcome.

"More than one temptress? I didn't mean to sell you short, but I, the great Zelos Wilder, kind of have a monopoly on this place. And by this place I mean Tethe'alla. Though it would seem that quite a bit of Sylvarant has already fallen under my spell. I mean, when a gorgeous, statuesque vision of male perfe-"

"DAMN IT, ZELOS! I need some time to think."

"Why think about me when you can see me in the flesh?"

Lloyd grasped the railing, back still turned to Zelos, trying to restrain himself from doing something stupid.

"Hey, man. Sorry. I mean, I get that this must be pretty hard for you. Have you… decided yet?"

"I don't know what to do. I know that Dad, uhm, Dirk, raised me from the time I was a kid. He's been protecting me. But so has Kratos, in a way. Could you imagine having to kill your own parent?

"I already did."

Lloyd turned to face the Chosen whose face had fallen, betraying the mask of composure and self-assuredness that he usually wore.

"Zelos…."

Silence.

"That wasn't your fault… Zelos?"

"Huh? Oh sorry. I kind of zoned out. Just thinking about…"

"Your mother?'

"What? Oh no, I was just thinking about how many of my poor little Flanoir hunnies must be in need of a little extra body heat on a night like tonight."

Zelos let out a low chuckle but Lloyd could hear the underlying sadness in his voice.

"I respect you, Zelos."

"Yeah? Well, I guess I could teach you a thing or two about the lady folk if you look up to me that much. You're no me, but you're a decent-looking kid. I'm sure you'd do okay. The hair could use a change, but…"

"No, I- What's wrong with my hair?! Hey, no, I mean, stop it! I'm serious."

"So am I. I'm sure we could find you at least one lovely lady who's willing to be seduced."

"Hmph. Maybe respect wasn't the right word."

"Admire? Envy? Love, maybe? I wouldn't blame you. But I'm sure we could think of some other words, if yours wasn't on the list," he remarked, tossing a few tendrils from the curtain of glossy red hair over his shoulder. He cocked his head to the side slightly and smiled that mischievous half-smile that had captivated most of Tethe'alla.

"Nevermind."

"Okay, okay. I'll stop. So? Come on, out with it, Lloyd."

"Well, just, I admire the fact that you're able to make it through tough situations with a grin on your face the entire time. I think you're stronger, deeper than people, including yourself, think you are. You're more than a pretty face."

Lloyd looked straight into his friend's devilish bright blue eyes, which were sparkling in the light of the moon. He knew there was depth behind those eyes. More than the protective barrier of arrogance and playboy attitude gave them credit for.

"Heh heh. You said all that just so you could tell me I have a pretty face? I'm flattered, really, but I told you before, I'm not really into guys."

Maybe Lloyd was wrong.

"You're incredible," he groaned.

"Tell me something I don't know," he smirked.

"Whatever. I'm going to bed if you're gunna keep acting like this."

"Okay, okay. I'll be good."

"No mention of your hunnies?"

"Nope."

"Or how wonderful you are?"

"_You _brought that up."

"Zelos?"

"Alright, alright."

"What do you think I should do?"

"I'd kill him."

Lloyd turned away again, shielding his face from his companion as it twisted and contorted in accordance to the turmoil that had arisen within him. But now was not the time for weakness, especially not in front of Zelos.

"Just like that?" His voice wavered, a mixture of rage and sadness, a product of devastation.

"Look , Lloyd. I know you want everything to work out. You want everything to have a neat, happy ending. I get that. It's in your nature. I'm trying to be optimistic too. You're a good guy, which is why I don't get what Kratos is doing to you. I don't think it's fair. He knows just as well as anyone what you're like, and yet he's forcing you to make this decision, instead of really taking responsibility. I know that maybe I shouldn't be talking about responsibility because I've tried to run from mine too, but after getting to know you, I know that I couldn't do what he's doing to you. That sonofabitch knows what he's putting you through and it's not right that you have to suffer for his mistakes. If I were in your place, I would be mad as hell. Not to say that I'd actually _want to kill him, but if I had to I would. But that's me."_

"_If there's another way, I want to find it, but I have to come to terms with the fact that it might come down to…"_

_He choked on the last few words and knew that they would only emerge as senseless stammering, so he just trailed off and looked down through the tears welling up to the snow that had just begun falling. He could hear the soft footsteps advancing towards him from behind, a light crunching of the snow condensing under his friend's boots. A single tear rolled down from Lloyd's cheek onto the blanket of snow that covered the balcony . He silently cursed his own weakness and wished that Zelos had just gone back to his room when Lloyd had instructed him to. He was overcome with embarrassment and his face felt hot against the glacial night air. Then, without warning, he felt two strong, reassuring arms wrap around his shoulders from behind. _


	2. How It's Done

"Sorry, bud. I shouldn't have said that. I guess it was pretty out of line, huh? I just hate that he's messing with you like this. I mean, who does he think that- oh. Maybe I should just shut my gorgeous mouth, huh?"

"Haha. What did I say about bragging, O Mighty Chosen?"

"Aww man. C'mon. That wasn't bragging. Just stating the obvious."

"Fine."

Lloyd tried to sound as aggravated, attempting to inject as much venom as he could into that one little word only to start laughing despite himself.

"Stupid Chosen."

"Hey hey hey. No need to get testy just because you're jealous."

"What am I supposed to be jealous of, exactly? How many times you've been slapped by Sheena?"

"Ouch. Well, this coming from a notorious peeping Tom," Zelos snickered.

"You jerk! That was all your fault! Now they think I'm a pervert like you!"

Lloyd tried to jerk himself free from Zelos' grasp, thrashing wildly, but he could feel the Chosen's grip tighten every time he tried to wriggle free.

"Damn it! Let me go! Urgh! So, is this how you keep your hunnies from escaping?!"

"Nope. This is."

With that, Zelos uncrossed his arms and placed his strong hands on both of Lloyd's shoulders, spinning him so that their faces were only a few inches apart. Before Lloyd could process the rapid turn of events, he felt a hand snake its way up his neck until it was cupping the left side of his jaw in a surprisingly tender caress.

"Uhm. Z-Zelos? You're kidding, right? You can stop now. Point made, okay?!'

Zelos said nothing, but Lloyd had gotten his answer through his friend's facial expression. The corners of his mouth were slightly upturned and one of his eyebrows was raised suggestively. The last thing he saw before his face was thrust towards Zelos' was the quick wink of his eye. He tried to voice another objection, but his words were absorbed by Zelos' soft lips, melting into incoherent mumbles, morphing into weak moans. He felt as though his body had put his brain on autopilot for the time being. He knew that he should resist but the hot breath bridging the tiny gaps between their mouths was simply intoxicating. He was greedy; he wanted more. Responding accordingly, almost as if they were feeding off one another's thoughts, Zelos brazenly parted Lloyd's lips with his tongue. They fell into a steady rhythm, the harmony of their bodies so perfect, swelling and ebbing like the tides. Something so natural and free, and what hesitation there seemed to be in Lloyd's movements was slipping away, dissolving into the moment. His breathing quickened, coming in more shallow gasps when he was given the opportunity to take a short break. He could fell the Chosen's tongue exploring every inch of his mouth, and began to reciprocate the actions. They were dancing together in perfectly coordinated movements, not following a pattern, a routine, but making one up on the spot, a product of passion orchestrated by only their instincts. Lloyd raised one of the hands that was lying limp at his side after the shock of the strangely pleasant sneak attack, and brought it up to the back of Zelos' head, grasping desperately at his cascade of ruby locks. He pulled him in closer, securing him, intertwining his finger's with the other man's glossy hair. His other hand found its way to Zelos' shoulder. A satisfied mumble transformed into a soft groan as he ran his fingertips along the contours at the edge of Zelos' collarbone to the firm curves of his biceps. It snaked around, no longer as apprehensive, to his partner's back, exploring all the angles and musculatures that his astounding physique had to offer. As he reached the divots at base of his spine, Llyod could no longer suppress the urges he was desperately trying to control and whimpered before pulling away and letting a loud moan escape his lips. After he had given himself a short moment to catch his breath, he leaned in again, wanting more. Instead, his lips were met with a single finger.

"Whoa now. Easy there, tiger. I don't you falling in love with me, too. I have enough hunnies to attend to as it is."

"Whuh?" Lloyd murmured lazily, still looking dazed.

"Hmm. I see you need a moment to gather yourself. Figures you'd melt under the flames of passion."

"What? No! But I- but you- you, you violated me. You did- what y-you did was… you had no right to-"

"-Make you fall head over heels?"

"YEAH! WHAT? No! Zelos!"

"You're already screaming my name? And that was just the appetizer. But you might want to pipe down, buddy, people trying to sleep."

"You're an arrogant ASS!" he spat.

"Aaaand now you know why."


End file.
